How to Cook Corned Beef

During St. Patrick’s Day, cooking corned beef is a long-time tradition especially for homes of Irish-American people. In the United Kingdom, salt beef is the other name for corned beef because it is actually a cut of beef that is cured with grains of coarse salt which is referred to as corn. The various cut of beef that can be use in cooking corned beef are round, brisket, and silverside.

Ingredients

A large covered pot or a Dutch oven

5-6 lbs of beef brisket

5 pieces of carrots already cut into thirds

1 piece medium-sized head of cabbage already cored and cut into quarters

1 bottle of good Irish beer

2 pieces of onions already peeled and cut into quarters

5 pieces of peppercorns

A few pieces of bay leaves

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Steps in Cooking Corned Beef

Step 1: Remove any traces of brine from the beef brisket by rinsing it using clean cool running water. Then place the meat in the large covered pot.

Step 2: Pour in the Irish beer over the beef brisket. Make sure that the entire meat is covered or submerged in the liquid by adding water in the pot. Add in the bay leaves, peppercorns, and onions for flavor.

Step 3: Heat up the covered pot and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Then reduce the heat to a medium-low temperature to gain a gentle boil. Cooking corned beef usually takes four hours on the average or until the beef is already fork-tender. Don’t forget to skim the foam occasionally while boiling the meat.

Step 4: Once the beef brisket is already fork-tender, add in the vegetables on top of the meat. First the carrots and followed shortly by the cabbage. Let the corned beef boil for the next 30 minutes until the vegetables become tender. Then it is time to turn off the heat.

Step 5: Take out the beef brisket from the broth. Place it on top of a cutting board and let it rest for about ten minutes before cutting the meat into strips. The size of the strips should be about 1/4 inches thick. One important thing to remember in cooking corned beef is that you should slice the meat against the grain to avoid any problems while chewing the food.

Serving Suggestion

Serve the corned beef on a warm platter together with the vegetables. Arrange the carrots and cabbage around the beef brisket strips. About six persons can enjoy this delicious meal anytime of the day when cooking corned beef this way.